Aisling's Diary

Chapter 39

DANCE FROM THE HEART

Sunday 29 January (continued) 

1:30 p.m.

Well, I guess you could say I definitely danced from the heart!

I did it. And it was woop, woop, woop, woop, woop. I felt so free, so cool, so Aisling Louise Fitzsimons.

Rory had not left the auditorium to take a call from one of his friends. He’d actually sneaked into the sound booth. When I was on stage dancing, he started mixing one of his hip-hop tracks into the Irish Dance, so the two tracks were playing at the same time. The sound was different to any music anyone had heard before and I just knew both the Irish Dance and the hip-hop moves would work to the music. My heart felt it was beating right at the top of my throat and I could hardly breathe.

Suddenly it was just like it was that day at the beach, I was just dancing for me and I didn’t care about anyone else, I just couldn’t help it. I danced my heart out and it felt so right. It felt so good, like that free bird.

When I had nearly got to the end I realized I had been dancing so hard I had my eyes closed. I did think about keeping them closed for another half an hour until everyone had gone home, but I couldn’t hear anyone booing so I decided to chance it. I opened my eyes and lots of people were clapping along. Mum and Granny Nora were up on their tiptoes clapping madly. I think I saw Siobhan and Ali dancing as well. So I leaped up in the air and did my final Irish Dance Fusion move and with an Ali-style ‘Da-dah’ I was done. ‘Ladies and Gentlemen I give you Aisling Fitzsimons, the originator of competition-style Irish Dance Hip-Hop Fusion!’

And. Then. I. Saw. Murphy. He must have come in while I was dancing. He saw me dance! He saw me dance! He saw me dance!! Well I think he must have done, because he was high-fiving Dec and definitely looking in my direction. I felt so pleased he saw it. When you think about it, it’s only because of him that I could even dance that way. I was trying to catch his eye, which is not easy when you’re on stage in front of hundreds of people. I think I managed to give him a little nod of thanks, very difficult in an Irish Dance costume trying not to move.

Then I made the mistake of looking at the judges, who did not, I must say, look very happy. Then, suddenly, out of the darkness of backstage, I saw Killer Kennedy marching towards the judges on Full Flash Alert, like one of the ring wraiths from Lord of the Rings. Argghhh. I sure wasn’t going to stay around to watch that, so before I knew it I was off the stage. I heard them announce my name to take a bow, but there was no way I was going back. I knew there was no way I was winning that competition. I’m pretty safe here backstage, and the four horses of the apocalypse (whatever they are) couldn’t drag me back in front of the judges again. No way. 

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